Hank Aaron

Henry Louis Aaron, known as Hank, was born February 5, 1934, weighing in at 12.25 pounds. He was one of eight children born to a poor family in the Mobile, Alabama area. His brother, Tommie, also played in Major League Baseball. His family didn't have the money for any sports equipment, so Hank improvised bats and hit bottle caps growing up.

When he began to play baseball as an adult, the leagues were segregated. He played briefly in the Negro Leagues, but most of his career (21 seasons) came with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. He held the major league record for the most home runs (755) for 33 years. When he retired, he remained with the Braves organization.

Because of his skill with a bat, he soon earned the nickname of Hammer or Hammerin' Hank. Although his strength as a player lay in his hitting, when his team took the field, he played mostly in right field. He still holds the records for the most seasons as an All-Star, runs batted in, extra base hits, and total bases. He was truly one of baseball's greats.

_______________________________